Gone Astray

I knew from Paragraph 1 that Madeleine's Ghost would be a winner. The haunting in his apartment, his relationship with his neighbors, friends and the priest, and the uncertain life of living in New York (with the low rent, projects and bodies) all work together to make this an excellent novel. Ned Conti seems to be hovering on the line between skepticism and faith. He and his friends, Chase, Jillian, Molesworth, are ever... Read Full Review

I have no idea what book the negative reviewers were reading - but my well-worn copy, and much gifted copies to friends was and remains a wonderful, powerful read. The book is much deeper than you think - yes it is a love story, a ghost story, a history, a mystery and God forbid, even a happy ending for the troubled souls in the book, and the audience. As a person who is haunted by places at times, the book evokes that sense... Read Full Review

I was caught from the opening scene, with the stones falling from the ceiling. The book held me fast with its intricate twining of cities, people, places and times, not to mention the juxtapostion of the supernatural on the often otherworldly weirdness of the modern world. The mingled plots developed and kinked and then worked themselves out beautifully. The protagonist, painfully naive at times, managed to have his eyes... Read Full Review

A very classy debut novel from Robert Girardi. My friend loaned me a copy for my vacation and I was completely engrossed from start to finish. Travelling back and forth in time to the very different cities of New York and New Orleans, the story revolves around Ned Conti, a thirtysomething who lacks direction in his life and the paranormal events that occur in his apartment during one hot summer in New York. Wonderfully... Read Full Review

This book combines the best of a ghost and a love story. It also manages to convey the gritty, seamy side of New York City where crime and muggings have become second nature and contrast it with the down-home, blues-driven, relaxed style of New Orleans life - past and present. You read of drugs, despair, saints and sinners and what happens to people who make wrong choices for what they perceive to be right reasons. You can... Read Full Review